About the Program

This two-year special Master's degree program is designed for students who have completed the all health professional school prerequisites and may need to strengthen their science background and/or MCAT score before applying to medical or other health professional schools. The program combines the former one-year Medical Science Preparatory (MSP) program curriculum with the former Master of Science in Biological Science (MBS) program curriculum into a two-year Master’s program.

In the first year, students take advanced undergraduate courses in physics and chemistry, graduate courses in biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, psychology/sociology and laboratory techniques, and a year-long dedicated MCAT preparation course. At the end of the year, students sit for the MCAT and complete a summer research project. Students transition into the second year of the program after successful completion of the first year curriculum (passing all courses with a minimum cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0). During the second year, students take rigorous coursework in biochemistry, physiology, cell biology & histology and neuroanatomy, utilizing the IMS curriculum medical school-equivalent lectures and laboratory materials, as well as an ethics and a professionalism course, to complete the MS degree.

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the MBS program must have fulfilled undergraduate pre-medical requirements and demonstrated mastery of the material at a minimum grade of C. These requirements include a year of biology, chemistry, physics and organic chemistry, including respective laboratory sections. Applicants are required to submit official MCAT scores if the exam was taken, or general GRE scores in lieu of the MCAT. The following credentials are competitive for application to the MBS program:

Applicants with lower scores may be considered, if they can demonstrate a marked improvement in their academic history. Health care–related experiences, community service, research, leadership and extracurricular activities are also taken into consideration.

Writing-intensive Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

For additional information, and an up-to-date list of the writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Drexel University Writing Center page